Consulting firms doing the work of government?
"The previous Coalition government spent $20.8bn outsourcing more than a third of #PublicService operations, an audit has found. The equivalent of 54,000 full-time staff were employed by the federal government in 2021-22, or 37% of the actual workforce."
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/may/05/morrison-government-spent-208bn-on-consultants-and-outsourcing-public-service-in-final-year-audit-finds

"Governments are increasingly reliant on consulting firms. Critics says it's often to their detriment. Economics professor Mariana Mazzucato is alarmed at how much governments rely on consulting firms."
"But what we've witnessed in the last 50 years is the #dismantling of the capacity within our government organisations to even be a good partner to these other organisations."
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-03-16/australia-reliance-consulting-firms-high-cost-problem-government/102091810
#Consulting #Government #ShadowWorkforce #Outsourcing #Governance #ConflictOfInterest #PublicSector #ConsultingFirms